Video Landing Parameter Survey—Washington National Airport

42 Pages·1999·0.86 MB·English

DOT/FAA/AR-97/106 Video Landing Parameter
Survey—Washington National
Office of Aviation Research
Washington, D.C. 20591
Airport
Terence Barnes

Thomas DeFiore

Richard Micklos

Federal Aviation Administration

Airworthiness Assurance Research and Development Branch

William J. Hughes Technical Center

Atlantic City International Airport, NJ

June 1999

Final Report

This document is available to the U.S. public

through the National Technical Information

Service (NTIS), Springfield, Virginia 22161.

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration
NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S.
Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange.
The United States Government assumes no liability for the contents or
use thereof. The United States Government does not endorse
products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturer's names appear
herein solely because they are considered essential to the objective of
this report. This document does not constitute FAA certification policy.
Consult your local FAA aircraft certification office as to its use.
This report is available at the Federal Aviation Administration William J.
Hughes Technical Center's Full-Text Technical Reports page:
www.tc.faa.gov/its/act141/reportpage.html in Adobe Acrobat portable
document format (PDF).
Technical Report Documentation Page
1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.
DOT/FAA/AR-97/106
4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date
June 1999
VIDEO LANDING PARAMETER SURVEYWASHINGTON NATIONAL
AIRPORT 6. Performing Organization Code
AAR-432
7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No.
Terence Barnes, Thomas DeFiore, and Richard Micklos DOT/FAA/AR-97/106
9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)
Federal Aviation Administration RPD-510
Airworthiness Assurance Research and Development Branch
William J. Hughes Technical Center 11. Contract or Grant No.
Atlantic City International Airport DTFA03-94-Z-0029
New Jersey 08405
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered
U.S. Department of Transportation
Final Report
Federal Aviation Administration
Office of Aviation Research 14. Sponsoring Agency Code
Washington, DC 20591 ANM-110
15. Supplementary Notes
This video landing parameter survey was conducted jointly by personnel from the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center and
the Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Patuxant River, MD. The FAA Technical Manager was Thomas DeFiore,
AAR-432.
16. Abstract
The Federal Aviation Administration William J. Hughes Technical Center is conducting a series of video landing parameter
surveys at high-capacity commercial airports to acquire a better understanding of typical contact conditions for a wide variety of
aircraft and airports as they relate to current aircraft design criteria and practices.
This was the second in a ongoing series of parameter landing surveys and was conducted at Washington National Airport in
June 1995. Four video cameras were temporarily installed along the east side of runway 36. Video images of 532 transport,
(525 narrow-body jets and 7 commuter jets) were captured, analyzed, and the results presented herein. Landing parameters
presented include sink rate; approach speed; touchdown pitch, roll, and yaw angles; off-center distance; and the touchdown
distance from the runway threshold measured along the runway center line. Wind and weather conditions were also recorded
and landing weights were available for most landings. Since this program is only concerned with the overall statistical usage
information, all data were processed and are presented without regard to the airline or the flight number.
17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement
Landing parameters, Sink rate, Approach Velocity, Pitch, This document is available to the public through the National
Roll, and Yaw angles Technical Information Service (NTIS), Springfield, Virginia
22161.
19. Security Classify. (of this report) 20. Security Classify. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price
Unclassified Unclassified 42 N/A
Form DOT F1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY v

1 INTRODUCTION 1

2 SYSTEM DESCRIPTION 2

3 DISCUSSION 5

3.1 Washington National Airport Data Summary 5

3.2 Comparison of Washington National Airport Results With John F. Kennedy

(JFK) International Airport Results 8

3.3 Comparison With Prior NASA Results 9

4 CONCLUDING REMARKS 10

5 REFERENCES 11

APPENDICES
AStatistical Data for FAA Landing Parameters Survey Data Summary by Model at
Washington National Airport
BListing of Individual Aircraft Landing Parameters by Model, FAA Survey at
Washington National Airport
CLanding Parameter Survey Definitions
iii
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page
1 Video Camera in Operation During Commercial Landing Parameter Survey 3

2 FAA Landing Loads Camera Setup 4

3 Average Main Wheel Sink Speed Versus Landing Weight, All Jet Transports 7

4 Approach Speed Versus Landing Weight, All Jet Transports 7

5 Histogram of Jet Transport Aircraft Sink Speed, Washington National Airport Survey 9

6 Probability Distribution of FAA Landing Survey Sink Speed Comparison 10

LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
1 Survey Parameter Comparison by Aircraft Model 6

2 Comparison of Landing Survey Results 8

iv
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) William J. Hughes Technical Center is conducting a
series of video landing parameter surveys at high-activity commercial airports to acquire a better
understanding of typical landing contact conditions for a wide variety of aircraft and airports as
they relate to current aircraft design criteria and practices.
This is the second of a series of landing parameter surveys. This report documents the results
from a survey at Washington National Airport (DCA), performed in June 1995. The initial
survey was conducted at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in June 1994. At
Washington National Airport, four video cameras were temporarily installed along the east side
of runway 36. Video images of 532 transports (525 narrow-body jet transports, and 7 commuter
jet aircraft) were captured, analyzed, and the results presented herein. Landing parameters
presented include sink rate; approach speed; touchdown pitch, roll, and yaw angles; off-center
distance; and the touchdown distance from the runway threshold. Wind and weather conditions
were also recorded and landing weights were available for most landings. Since this program is
only concerned with overall statistical usage information, all data were processed and are
presented without regard to the airline or flight number.
This survey has reinforced the findings from the JFK survey concerning the landing impact
parameters of narrow-body jet aircraft. The results from these two surveys differ substantially
from aircraft sink speeds reported 35 years ago during National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) surveys. No other efforts to collect operational landing data were
performed by either the FAA or NASA in the interim.
v/vi
1. INTRODUCTION.
In an effort to better understand and document the actual operational environment of commercial
jet transport aircraft landing impact conditions, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
William J. Hughes Technical Center initiated a series of aircraft video landing parameter surveys
at high-activity commercial airports. By collecting and analyzing large quantities of video data
for a wide variety of aircraft, the original design criteria and fatigue-life estimates for aircraft
landing gear and support structures can be assessed and verified. This operational data will also
aid in developing design requirements for future jet transports.
The use of image data to evaluate the landing performance of aircraft has been used since jet
aircraft were introduced. In 1947 [1], the US Navy first developed a system to characterize the
typical carrier landing environment and implemented procedures to make carrier arrested
landings safer. The Navy system acquired aircraft landing and approach data from the tracking
and analysis of recorded 16-mm film images of the arrestment. In 1954, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) developed a similar system using a 35-mm
camera and conducted a number of surveys of commercial airplanes, the last ones in 1959 [2-7].
The difference between the two systems was that the Navy photographed from a head-on aspect
along the runway apron, while NASA’s camera was positioned perpendicular to the runway,
approximately 900 feet from the runway center line.
In 1967, the Navy enhanced its system by replacing the 16-mm cameras with 70-mm cameras.
This provided considerably greater image resolution and consequently greater accuracy [8].
Using this system, the Navy conducted over 40 landing parameter surveys. However, the data
reduction phase of the research was labor intensive and limited the number of surveys which
could be conducted. The search for a new improved system was concluded in 1992 when the
Navy successfully developed and implemented a system that uses adaptive video imaging and
tracking technology for their surveys. The performance and accuracy of this system is
documented in references 9 and 10. Shortly thereafter, the FAA and the Navy established an
interagency agreement to transition this newly developed video technology to commercial
operations [11].
Preliminary results from this work were presented at the 1995 ICAF Symposium [12], the 1995
FAA Airports Conference [13], the 1995 International Society of Air Safety Investigators
Conference [14], and the 1995 USAF ASIP Conference [15].
The objectives of the FAA landing parameter survey program are to acquire large amounts of
typical transport operational data to (1) validate and update NASA TN D 4529 which was
derived from usage data measured during the 1950s, (2) to provide detailed characterization of
typical transport airplane landing velocities and angular displacements, and (3) to determine if
there is a trend towards higher sink rates at higher gross weights.
The first of the FAA’s commercial aircraft video landing surveys was conducted in 1994 at John
F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), runway 13L, in New York to collect large quantities of
wide-body jet aircraft data [16].
1
The second survey performed at Washington National Airport collected landing parameters for
flight operations using a shorter runway. The principle runway (runway 36) at Washington
National Airport is 7000 ft long and cannot handle aircraft larger than the Airbus A-320 and the
Boeing 757. In addition, since prior NASA surveys collected only data from narrow-body B-707
and DC-8 airplanes, this would allow a comparison with the previous NASA results. Data from
this survey should be useful in the design and certification of narrow-body transport aircraft.
Video images of aircraft landing on runway 36 were recorded by a series of four cameras
temporarily installed on the edge of the runway. Runway 36 was selected for this survey since it
is the only runway at Washington National Airport equipped with an Instrument Landing System
(ILS). The data were collected on runway 36 over a 2-week period in June 1995. These video
images were stored on an optical disk recorder, processed, and analyzed at the Naval Air Warfare
Center, and the resulting landing parameter information was forwarded to the William J. Hughes
Technical Center.
Since the primary goal of this survey was to collect statistical information on actual operations,
the identity of individual aircraft, airlines, flight numbers, and dates were purposefully omitted
from this report. Aircraft landing performance was analyzed only on the basis of aircraft
category, model, type, and wind conditions.
2. SYSTEM DESCRIPTION.
Modern developments in video technology have permitted the Navy to transition its landing
parameter data analysis system from using photographic film to one using video technology. The
Navy video system is known as the Naval Aircraft Approach and Landing Data Acquisition
System (NAALDAS). The system consists of a high-resolution frame grab video camera, a laser
disk recorder, and a computer control unit. The key to the NAALDAS system is a highly
modified video camera. The camera’s enhanced vertical resolution (double that of standard
video formats) permits highly accurate measurement and tracking of aircraft position data. The
camera is supported by an image analysis system using image processing technology. Particular
image features (landing gear wheels, wing tips, flaps, or engine inlets) are tracked in successive
images, and this information is used to determine the relative motion of the aircraft. The
combination of camera resolution and image processing technology permits the location of image
features to be determined within 0.1 pixel. This technique is as accurate, but more efficient than
the Navy’s previously used 70-mm film system.
NAALDAS was designed to cover the restricted touchdown area on an aircraft carrier using a
single camera. To support the commercial application, the FAA funded the design and
development of a modified, multiple-camera configuration of NAALDAS using four video
cameras located along the edge of the runway. The images from these cameras are recorded
sequentially as the aircraft passes through their field of view. This modification expands the
system coverage area to approximately 2000 ft along the anticipated touchdown region of the
runway. Fiber-optic signal cables are used to eliminate interference and line losses between the
cameras and the recording station. The modified configuration of NAALDAS was successfully
2
tested in February 1994 at the William J. Hughes Technical Center, Atlantic City International
Airport (ACY), New Jersey. Figure 1 shows a camera in operation on a commercial runway.
FIGURE 1. VIDEO CAMERA IN OPERATION DURING COMMERCIAL LANDING
PARAMETER SURVEY
The video cameras are installed on the edge of the runway, usually facing toward the approaching
aircraft. The cameras are located approximately 475 feet apart, starting 800 feet from the end of
the runway, and usually located in line with the runway edge lights, which at Washington
National Airport are approximately 110 ft off the runway center line. The camera is aimed at the
center of the targeted touchdown area. The camera’s aim is fixed and does not track the aircraft.
Figure 2 is a schematic of the multiple camera configuration. Because of the location of a
runway intersection 1750 feet from the runway 36 threshold at Washington National Airport, one
camera was oriented toward the runway 18 end and recorded data from a rear view of the aircraft.
Less than 20 landings from this survey were processed from this rear view camera.
The NAALDAS video cameras have a fixed field of view. Each camera is aligned and calibrated
against temporary alignment targets which are placed on the runway for that purpose. These
targets are placed in surveyed locations, and the target images are recorded as a calibration
sequence. This sequence is processed to generate a transformation matrix to relate image
measurements to the runway.
The NAALDAS data recording system is operated from a vehicle parked in a safe location near
the touchdown region of the survey runway. Judicious selection of this parking location is
required to prevent any interference with airport operations. At Washington National Airport,
this location was 350 ft from the runway center line. Temporary cabling is run from the vehicle
to the cameras and the vehicle remains in the chosen location during flight operations. The
system is powered entirely with portable electrical generators. Currently NAALDAS is limited
to coverage of one end of a runway and cannot be relocated to accommodate runway changes.
3
This restriction exists since the cameras must be precisely aimed and recalibrated if they are
relocated, which requires the runway be closed.
fiber- camera
optic
cables
generator Remote Control
Station
FIGURE 2. FAA LANDING LOADS CAMERA SETUP
The aircraft image is captured on an optical laser disk recorder for subsequent analysis on the
NAALDAS analysis system work station. Approximately 60 landings can be stored on a disk.
An identity number is assigned to the disk, and event numbers are assigned to each video
sequence. The use of video disks eliminates film processing cost and time.
Image enhancement and automatic data point tracking are performed using the analysis work
station. This provides position time information of image features on the aircraft. Each
individual airplane landing is also identified by model type and serial number so that the
necessary physical dimensions and geometric locations can be correlated with the time-tracked
video images. The software data reduction system then derives the landing impact parameters,
i.e., sinking speed, horizontal velocity, bank angle, crab angle, etc.
The analysis station consists of a Sun computer work station with an image processing board,
laser disk player, computer monitor, high-resolution monitor, and associated power regulator and
cables. The station operator automatically tracks the video image features during the landing
sequence. By positioning windows over the desired image feature, the operator prepares the
system to track that feature through the entire sequence. Multiple-image features can be tracked
simultaneously using multiple windows. The operator has the capability to select image
threshold levels, image enhancement formats, and algorithms. The operator can also select the
type of tracking (edge or centroid) to be used. These selections allow the system to automatically
track the image, eliminating the errors in data reduction which were inherent in the manual
4